Saquon Barkley says knee doing well, won't set return date

Saquon Barkley says his surgically repaired knee is doing well, though the New York Giants star running back won’t set a target date for his return.

Barkley, the 2018 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, tore his right ACL in Week 2 and missed the rest of the 2020 season. The Giants finished 6-10, one win short of winning the dreadful NFC East.

“I’m doing really well in rehab,” Barkley said on the AP Pro Football Podcast. “Very lucky to have a great team around me, great trainers, great doctors. Everyone has been very beneficial to me and very helpful to me. So whenever the opportunity I’m able to get back on the football field with my team, I’m definitely going to cherish that moment and I just honestly can’t wait for that day to happen soon.”

File-New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley (26) runs the ball against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the third quarter of an NFL football game Monday, Sept. 14, 2020, in East Rutherford, N.J. Barkley has had surgery to repair a torn ACL in his right knee. Giants coach Joe Judge confirmed the surgery on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020, without giving specifics. (AP PhotoSeth Wenig, File)

Most players return from ACL injuries after around 10 months or fewer, so Barkley should be ready for Week 1 unless he suffers a setback.

“You have to start all over and you have to teach yourself how to walk, jog, run, sprint, cut and all that stuff again,” Barkley said. “But the mental part, especially when I hurt myself, at the moment I felt I was letting all my teammates down. To watch those guys on Sundays was very emotional. But everything happens for a reason. I have to continue to work. You control the things I can control and let the rest take over.”

Barkley, the No. 2 overall pick in 2018, ran for 1,307 yards that season and caught 91 passes for 721 yards. He had 15 touchdowns combined rushing and receiving. Barkley had 1,441 yards from scrimmage in 2019 but missed three games because of a high ankle sprain.

He is eager to get back running behind a revamped offensive line, which improved down the stretch last season. The unit finished with two rookies on the left side in left tackle Andrew Thomas and left guard Shane Lemieux. Thomas overcame early struggles against outstanding players and played well. Nick Gates played center for the first time in his career and guard Kevin Zeitler and tackle Cam Fleming were the veterans on the right side.

“Very excited,” Barkley said. “Obviously things were a little shaky in the beginning of the year. ... I got hurt, they started getting things clicking and I think you saw when we got the running game going, we were very hard to beat. When you have a great running game, a great defense and a great quarterback and talent all around, which I believe we have, we can take that middle portion toward the end of the season when we played some of our best ball and start off with that, I think we’re going to be in a very good place.”

Barkley said his initial impression of first-year coach Joe Judge, who previously was a Patriots special teams coordinator, changed after he had a chance to get to know him.

“When he came in and gave his speech, he let everyone know he was about business,” Barkley said. “When I first met him, I couldn’t stop looking at his eyes. It was like I was talking to a sergeant. And through time when you got to see him, he got to show his personality, even through Zoom. ...

“When I got hurt, I was trying to be this tough guy and stay strong in the locker room. And then I kind of started breaking down in front of him. He looked me in the eye and told me, ‘It’s going to be one hell of a story.’ And that’s the type of guy he is. He’s got your back and he’s a guy that’s for his players and he’s a guy who is going to push you and get the best out of you no matter what.”

Judge had a rule where players who messed up in practice had to run laps afterward. Barkley said there was a day where he didn’t get caught making a mistake but he ran laps after practice on his own.

“I’m just a big believer in buying in,” Barkley said. “That’s the only way it’s going to work. It’s not going to work if we don’t buy and the culture won’t work. And I think he came in and established a culture. And for me, being one of the leaders, I try to buy in as best as I can.”

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MILWAUKEE (AP) — Zach Stoppelmoor won the men's 500 meters at the U.S. trials on Monday to earn his first trip to a Winter Olympics, turning in the best time over two days of racing after star long track speedskating star Jordan Stolz — already assured of a berth at the Milan Cortina Games — opted to sit out his second heat.

Stolz had prequalified for four events next month in Italy before the trials based on World Cup performances this season — the 500, 1,000, 1,500 and mass start — so he only needed to show up at the starting line once at each distance to officially seal his spots. The 21-year-old from Wisconsin will be considered a medal favorite in all four of those races at the Olympics.

In Sunday's initial round of the 500, Stolz turned in the fastest time, 34.761 seconds; Stopplemoor was third-fastest. Since he's been fighting a head cold and feeling tired, Stolz chose to merely start the 1,500 on Sunday before skating off-course and then opted to skip the second chance at the 500 on Monday.

Stolz, who is from about 40 minutes north of Milwaukee, wrapped up the four-day trials by turning in the fastest time in the second run of the mass start, pulling away from the pack easily and taking first place in that event. That goes alongside his second place in the 500 and third place in the 1,000, in which he recovered after an early stumble and fall to the ice.

Ethan Cepuran came in second in the mass start standings and will head to the Feb. 6-22 Olympics in that event and the team pursuit.

Mia Manganello, a 36-year-old from Florida who like Stolz already was prequalified in the event, won the women's mass start. Sarah Warren, a 29-year-old from Chicago, took second place in the women's 500 in 38.66 with Monday's best time; reigning gold medalist Erin Jackson had the best time Sunday, although she was prequalified and only needed to be at the start. Jackson skipped Monday's heat.

Warren let out a scream when she saw her time Monday, and then the tears began flowing. She said she's had a total of nine knee operations, plus another surgery on an ankle.

Stoppelmoor was in Monday's final pairing for the 500, and while his time Sunday already was fast enough to put him on the U.S. team in Milan, he said afterward he wasn't 100% certain of that. Either way, he went out and clocked 34.661 seconds, a 10th of a second faster than Stolz was the day before.

“Right now, he’s one of the most dominant people in our sport. So any time I’m even close to beating him, it always feels good,” said Stoppelmoor, a 26-year-old from Iowa. “The goal is obviously just to win, not to necessarily beat him. But it does feel good.”

After crossing the finish line, Stoppelmoor skated over to the stands for lengthy hugs with his mother, Dawn, and father, Tom.

“My parents just mean the world to me. I wouldn’t be here without them,” Stoppelmoor said. “A surreal moment to take in with them.”

He'll head to Italy with what he called one dream accomplished. Now there's more to do.

“The goal is always make the Olympic team and then, after that, win gold at the Olympics,” Stoppelmoor said on the last day of the trials. “That’s obviously what I’m going there for.”

The full U.S. long track speedskating squad:

Women: Jackson, Manganello, Warren, Brittany Bowe, Greta Myers, Giorgia Birkeland

Men: Stolz, Stoppelmoor, Cepuran, Casey Dawson, Conor McDermott-Mastowy, Cooper McLeod, Emery Lehman

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Brittany Bowe competes in the women's 1,500 meters at the U.S. Olympic trials for long track speed skating at the Pettit National Ice Center Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026 in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Jordan Stolz competes in the men's 500 meters at the U.S. Olympic trials for long track speed skating at the Pettit National Ice Center Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026 in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)